Mommy Stress Relief

Stress comes in all different signs from constant fatigue to mood disorders to change in appetite, weight gain or weight loss, you name it!.  We all exhibit stress in a variety of ways and being a Mommy is no different.  I'm not saying that motherhood is all stress, but I am saying that at times it is not a piece of cake.  (although I have to say that as Park as gotten older I find it much much less stressful)  All you Mommies that told me time and time again that the first year is tough but that it gets much better after that were SO right!!!  And to all of you that are in your first year and are having a tough time coping with sleeplessness and stress from the demands of motherhood...it does get better!  And before you know it, you will be wanting to do it all over again!

Anyways, I came across some valuable information for dealing with stress.  Being the type of individual who likes to constantly be busy, I found that motherhood and all the other things I wanted to do at the same time really don't mix.  I can't tell you how many times a day I had to tell myself to relax, the gardening or the house cleaning or reading a book or work with my Dad can wait.  There is no better time than RIGHT NOW to envelope myself in my child's life and in order to be at my best for my child, I need to reduce my self induced stress.  So here is how you accomplish just that:

• take stress relief seriously!  Stress takes years off our lives.  Not enough rest can lead to a stressed out body which can induce heart problems as well as other ailments.  Day to day stress is bad for your heart; it causes the adrenal glands to pump out cortisol, a hormone that pushes up blood pressure and strains the heart and blood vessels.  I don't want to die of a stress heart attack in 20 years because I couldn't relax.
• self-care...you only have one body during this lifetime so why not take care of it?  Eat healthy, exercise regularly, rest, and laugh!
• exercise, yoga, tai-chi, and meditation are just a few ways to help reduce stress and can lower blood pressure significantly
• find a primary health care physician (versus getting all your check-ups from you OB/GYN) and get regular physicals and a full blood work up to help manage your heart health and other related issues

Remember:  Your stress health has a great impact on your child's well-being

Have a nice stress free day!

Mommy Bridget

Please watch if you are considering the flu vaccine for your children

Just Say No to Drano

After dealing with a clogged shower drain more times than I want to speak about, I thought I would offer some good advice when caring for and treating the nasty issue:

Instead of opting for a toxic product to treat your drain clog, try something natural and more effective.  Pour a cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of white vinegar down your drain.  Plug the opening with a cleaning rag and let the bubbles from the mixture work through the clog.  After 5 minutes, rinse with hot water.  Repeat if necessary.

No need to put harmful products down your drain and into our water system not to mention pay for such a product.  Vinegar is so inexpensive and such a great all-purpose cleaner.

Breath Easy and Enjoy!

Mommy Bridget

Cell Phone Use Linked to Brain Tumors

Worth the read!

Mommy Bridget

Click on the title to this post or copy and paste the link below:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/29/More-Confirmation-That-Cell-Phones-Cause-Brain-Tumors.aspx

The Motherly Bond

I find it interesting the variety of views from mothers of impressions they want to make upon their children.  Some believe to be a good mother, one must strictly breast feed (no bottles).  Or some believe that to be a good mother, one must always choose what their pediatrician advises (hello mothers, we have a choice!)  Others believe that to be a good mother, one must be fruitful and multiply while some believe less is better.  Quality vs. quantity or stay at home mothers vs. career mothers?  Pacifiers or no pacifiers?  Play groups or no play groups?  Babysitters or no babysitters?  The ideas and perceptions are endless.

What I want to know is...what is so difficult about being the best mother you believe you can be to your children AND have a different view about what is the best for your children than other moms?    Mothers are too judgemental on one another.  But why?  Sometimes I think that the source or root of most judgements are based on personal insecurities.  "That mother doesn't vaccinate their child, she is NOT a good mother."  Well maybe the woman judging secretly worries about vaccine safety.  What is so difficult about NOT judging and respecting other's choices?  After all, how many mothers do YOU know that wish to not give their children everything in the world or wish to make choices that negatively affect their children's lives?  For me, none.  Do I judge for the differences in parenting?  To be honest...sometimes.  But I force myself to quickly reconnect with reality.  Everyone's views are different.  Reality is that most families cannot survive with only one income or some supermommies have no choice because they ARE the only parents! 

We as women have survived hundreds of thousands of years supporting one another and caring for one another's offspring.  There was no such thing as one mom, one dad and their babies surviving solely with each other.  Women have always stuck together...nurturing their babies together and nurturing the bond that allowed women and children to survive and that have come to BE.

I have had the pleasure to be supported during my difficult times of raising my little one by other mommies and I can honestly say I'm not sure how I could have gotten through it without them.  I hope that by me lending a helping hand others can say the same thing about me.  I truly believe in the healthy unit of mommies.  Support and encouragement without judgment is the best way.

Mommy Bridget

p.s. off to gain support from what I hear an amazing midwife then off to give support to a busy mommy in need

Mommy Bridget

In response to "The Male Brain: What's Really Going On in There"

In response to the article below, can't we just give up the mumbo jumbo and say, "not a whole hell of a lot at one time"? (Note that a woman wrote the investigative article). OR, let me help Ms. Mithers answer the question by saying that what is REALLY going on in a male's brain is sex, big machines, and male-male competition.

The Male Brain: What's Really Going On in There


Is he truly incapable of putting down the toilet seat? Can he really have passionate sex and not even think about calling you again? We go exploring for answers.

By Carol Mithers

The more science learns about how men are different from us (right down to the structure of their brains), the more we find ourselves hoping it will finally explain some age-old mysteries. For instance:

Why do men keep their cars spotless but live like pigs at home—while for women it's the other way around?

According to Simon Baron-Cohen, Ph.D., author of The Essential Difference: Male and Female Brains and the Truth About Autism, men's neurological wiring tends to make them better at systems, while women are superiorly rigged for empathy. Which could help explain why — although the culture is changing — guys still take such pride in their machines, while women often care more about maintaining a clean home.

Another clue comes from a 2007 study (conducted for BMW by a British team that included Oxford psychologists), which found that male drivers actually view their cars as extensions of themselves. Women, whose self-image is tied more directly to their bodies, are likely to think of their vehicles as separate entities, the authors suggest. But because men are less tuned-in to their bodies, they easily project their identity onto an object. If only that object were a sink full of dirty dishes.

Why do men like to watch violent sports, while a good number of women would rather do almost anything else?

The truth is, football has a lot of female fans (44.3 million women watched the 2009 Super Bowl, for example). But guys are drawn to football (and boxing and wrestling) in ways that women aren't. Men tend to be more aggressive, says Lucy L. Brown, Ph.D., a professor in the departments of neurology and neuroscience at Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. The difference likely involves hormones (like testosterone) and sensitivities to those hormones in parts of the brain such as the hypothalamus — which, in animals, is associated with aggression. Fine, but does he really have to shriek "Kill him!" when the other team's quarterback is about to get sacked? Yes, he does: If you're a guy, watching your team win increases testosterone levels, according to a 1998 study in Physiology & Behavior. Viewing combative sports also helps men identify with traditional ideals of masculinity like domination, risk taking, and competition, explains Douglas Hartmann, PhD, associate professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. "In fact," he says, "the less physically competitive his daily life is, the more sports can become a means toward achieving those ideals, at least in his mind."

Why can a man enthusiastically (very enthusiastically) sleep with a woman he knows he'll never see again?

Well, there's the old Evolution Did It theory: Men are hardwired to spread their seed; women, to find a mate who will protect the children she may bear. Physical differences may play a role, too. According to Lisa Diamond, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology and gender studies at the University of Utah, not only do female rats have more extensive brain circuits for oxytocin — which helps mammals to bond — than males but in humans, women show greater release of the neurochemical during sex (especially orgasm) than men.

Also, biological anthropologist and Rutgers University professor Helen Fisher, Ph.D., notes: "The two brain hemispheres are less well connected in men than in women. This gives men the ability to focus on one thing at a time and be very goal oriented, whereas the female brain is built to assimilate many feelings at once, and to connect sex and love much more rapidly." Interesting, plausible theories all, but Lucy Brown cautions that we're still really just guessing. And in the end, the fact that men forever remain a bit of a mystery may be part of what keeps us intrigued.

Just the Facts of the H1N1 Vaccine...Not the Hype

Below is part of a new blog post from Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder and President of the Vaccine Information Center. I know my postings on the Swine Flu Vaccine are becoming redundant, but the hype in our country is spreading at an alarming rate and the flu is clearly not understood.

Here is just an excerpt:

Just the Facts, Not the Hype

So, here are the facts:

* The new swine influenza is mild for most people even though a small number have developed complications and died.

* The swine flu vaccine has been tested for only a few weeks on a few thousand healthy children and adults, including very few pregnant women. We don't know how safe it really is for pregnant women or children and adults with chronic illness even though they are being specially targeted for vaccination by government health officials.

* There is very little information about how safe it is to give swine flu vaccine with other vaccines, including seasonal influenza vaccine.

* There is very little information about whether the swine flu shot will keep you from getting swine flu.

You can read more at http://vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/2009/10/mild-swine-flu-over-hyped-vaccine.html or click on the title of this post.

Get informed...
Mommy Bridget